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| Israel-Palestine |
| Major operation in Nablus yields fugitives, bombs |
| 2004-06-24 |
| JPost- Reg Req’d A major force of four crack battalions moved into the narrow warrens of the Casba in Nablus Thursday on an open-ended hunt for Palestinian terrorist leaders and bomb factories. Rock the Casbah! The operation, dubbed "Close Pressure," came a day after security forces intercepted a suicide bomber and a 10-kilo bomb dispatched from the West Bank’s largest city. nice catch "Nablus continues to be the ’Palestinian terror capital’ that knows how to produce attacks daily," said Lt.-Col Itzik, commander of the 101st paratrooper battalion. The operation came while in the northern Gaza Strip alert guards at an outpost spotted two armed men attempting to sneak into the nearby Jewish settlement and shot them dead before dawn. In a search after daylight, troops located the bodies of the Palestinian infiltrators just 30 meters away. They discovered they had been wearing IDF uniforms and were armed with Klashnikov assault rifles, ammunition clips and hand grenades. One apparently had a flak vest. Military sources also said the pair could have been headed to a nearby crossing which Palestinian laborers use to enter the Jewish farms in the region. Earlier, IDF forces apparently killed a Palestinian man who was detected digging under the fence surrounding the Gaza Strip settlement of Bedolah. The soldiers fired warning shots and then direct fire at the man who appeared to be planting a bomb, the army said. Back in Nablus, a joint task force made up of the 101st, the paratrooper auxiliary battalion, special forces from the Border Police and the Haruv battalion, slowly moved into the populous urban center before dawn Thursday. There were sporadic exchanges of gunfire and at least four Palestinians were reported wounded after hurling petrol bombs and makeshift explosives at troops. But there was no major bloodshed as the IDF placed the city under curfew. The army also took the rare step of dispersing leaflets in Arabic calling on residents to turn over six specific fugitives, wanted members of the Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade and from the PFLP. "These terrorists are only a source of suffering and trouble for the people of Nablus who want to live their lives in dignity," the leaflet said. Soldiers with their faces smeared in camouflage paint that mixed with sweat went house-to-house searching for wanted terrorists. Moving the civilians to one room, they swept through the homes, in one case nabbing two fugitives hiding under a sink. two? under one sink? "We love these operations because this is what we have been trained to do. I want to bring down a gunman and make a notch on my rifle," said one paratrooper called Kfir from Kiryat Tivon. nice attitude Kfir! (Kuffir?) Troops from the Haruv battalion located a 20-kilogram bomb. Sappers detonated it, causing the house where it was found to be demolished. "sorry!" Haruv battalion commander Lt.-Col. Nochi said operating very slowly to prevent any casualties. "The Casba is a very central focus point from which terror attacks are launched against Israel," Lt.-Col. Nochi told reporters. He said that the operation was "open ended" involving a large number of forces for an unlimited period. According to Lt.-Col. Nochi, they have witnessed local residents and merchants confronting the fugitives not to seek sanctuary with them and disrupt their lives. In the past five weeks, Israeli troops have staged quiet raids in the city and have arrested or killed 16 senior fugitives in the Casba. Palestinians said at least three people were wounded in the ongoing sweep. They said that they had been hit when soldiers opened fire to disperse youths throwing stones at them. Palestinians reportedly complained that the action prevented many students from reaching end of school examinations. From inside one living room, cautious to avoid Palestinian snipers, Lt. Sagiv paused after sweeping the house for an Islamic Jihad terrorist. "You smell that?" the platoon commander said. "That is the smell of the Casba of Nablus. You can come back here almost every night for a year and a half and you won’t get used to this smell. Every soldier returning from the Casba knows it and talks about it. It’s the smell of a place where life’s sweet moment don’t exist." "It’s the smell of |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #2 Ship - it's a story about a US ally conducting successful operations against Paleo terrorists. What makes you think Dan Rather would EVER read this, especially aloud? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-06-24 8:23:47 PM |
| #1 You smell that?" the platoon commander said. "That is the smell of the Casba of Nablus. You can come back here almost every night for a year and a half and you won’t get used to this smell. Every soldier returning from the Casba knows it and talks about it. I hate these JPost joooooooo patriot writers! Imagine Dan Rather reading that.... jebus. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-24 8:19:42 PM |